Afghanistan

AFGHAN KADOO, VEGETARIAN RECIPE - MY FIRST COOKING VIDEO

In honor of the end of Ramazan/Ramadan and the beginning of the Eid holiday, I’m sharing my first cooking video of Kadoo, a sweet and savory Afghan dish that everyone loves.

Thank you Brandon Chaves for your creative genius and patience. Brandon spent a Saturday shooting the video in my kitchen and then hours after, editing. He was paid handsomely with platefuls of warm kadoo and pita bread.

When I was in Kabul a few years ago I learned this recipe from my cousin, Madya-jan, who is an excellent cook. I slightly modified the recipe by using squash, instead of pumpkin, which is readily available all year around, in the United States. I also steam the squash in vegetable broth rather than cooking it in oil, as my cousin did.

Photo by Brandon Chaves

Cousin Madya’s Kadoo

Braised Vegetarian Squash

One medium sugar pie pumpkin or butternut squash

1 cup vegetable broth

3 tablespoons olive oil

4 tomatoes roughly chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoon turmeric

1 cup full fat yogurt

&frac12; teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

In a sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, sugar and turmeric and stir for a minute. Add tomatoes, cook for a minute while stirring, turn heat to medium-low and let is simmer until tomatoes are caramelize and the sauces thickens, 7 to 10 minutes.

In the meantime, peel squash, remove seeds, and cut as shown on video.

Heat the vegetable broth in a large frying pan on medium-high heat, add the pumpkin pieces. Place lid on the pot, simmer for around 3-5 minutes.

Pour the tomato mixture evenly over the quash. Cover the top with a tight lid or aluminum foil and cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes or until the squash is fully cooked and a fork can go through it easily.

Mix the yogurt, garlic powder and salt in a bowl and stir for a minute until it’s smooth and creamy.

Portion the pumpkin onto serving plates and put a generous dollop of yogurt to top. Serve with pita bread or Afghan nan.